Kiah
Feminine
Kiah is given to both — 3,313 girls and 265 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Kiah is a short American name with several possible parents — Keziah and Hezekiah both end this way, and the Ki- opening of modern naming is another. It is used for girls and boys alike.
How old is the name Kiah?
Kiah first appears in US birth records in 1971 — 54 years ago. The typical Kiah alive today was born around 2002, making them about 23 years old. About 3,300 people named Kiah are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kiah most popular?
Kiah peaked in 2002, reaching #1308 nationally. Today it ranks #3517, 2,209 places below that high. See the whole 2002 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kiah
Ours, offered as ours. Kiah is what remains when a long biblical name is clipped from the front rather than the back — an unusual direction for English, which normally keeps the beginning. Keziah gives Kiah; so does Hezekiah. That produces a short name with a very long shadow behind it and nothing visible in front. Whether any particular family reached it that way is not recorded, and the biblical names it could have come from are worth naming.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source is established. Keziah, a daughter of Job in the biblical text, means cassia, the spice bark, and is a genuine possible parent; Hezekiah and Zechariah are others. The Ki- and -ah pieces of modern American naming are a separate possible source.
Pronouncing Kiah
KY-ah
Two syllables, first stressed. Some families say KEE-ah.
Nicknames for Kiah
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1971
- Most girls named
- 2002149 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1308reached in 2002
- Change vs 2024
- −23.2%43 in 2025, from 56
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Kiah in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Keziah in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Indiana.
Kiahs among us
people named Kiah are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 37,378 born in 2025 was named Kiah
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Kiah
- #3517
- Kiah on the 2025 chart
- #572
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Kiah went to 43 girls in 2025, but Kya, Kyah and Kiya and the rest below are the same name said out loud. Together the 9 spellings went to 422, which makes it the 572nd most-given girls’ name of the year — 2,945 places above the chart.
and 1 rarer spelling.
About 1 girl in 3,809 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 37,378 for Kiah itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Wylene test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kiah's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Wylene climbed just as high around 1935, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Wylene's path sketches the road Kiah is walking now.
Kiah sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kiah is headed
Kiah should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kiah beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kiah in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Four letters and two syllables, about as easy to write as a name gets.
- It works for a girl or a boy, which is useful before a birth.
- Real biblical names stand behind it, which gives it somewhere to point.
- The first vowel is unsettled between KY and KEE.
- Kiah, Kia and Kya are all in use and none is dominant.
- A car manufacturer shares the sound, which will be mentioned.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Kiah to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Kiah? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Kiah
Feminine · #3517 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kiahs are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,300 people named Kiah are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Kiah?
- Kiah is one of 8 recorded spellings. Kya is the more common one — 182 births in 2025 against 43 for Kiah.
- How popular is the name Kiah in 2025?
- Kiah ranks #3517 among US girl names in 2025, with 43 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kiah?
- About 1 in every 37,378 US girls born in 2025 was named Kiah — 43 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kiah with classmates?
- Kiah will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kiah
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Maida#3517 · Amada#3517 · Afton#3517 · Allura#3517 · Jaina#3517 · Hallee#3517 · Katara#3517 · Joella#3517
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kiah? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kiah and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle